1. Sanford Media Center

Tucked away on the second floor of Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library is every budding digital artist’s dream come true. The Sanford Media Center, located in room 205B, offers free instruction, software usage and equipment rentals to all UA students for both personal and class projects. They are fully equipped with the Adobe Creative Suite, Apple’s entire line of audio and video professional programs, lab computers, camcorders, cameras, audio equipment and a recording studio. Student assistants are also just a few feet away to answer any questions you may have, and you can make reservations to meet with the professional staff for more in-depth and one-on-one instruction. DVD tutorials explaining the different digital media programs are also available for student use. For a full list of available equipment and to make reservations, visit lib.ua.edu/smc.

2. Ask a Librarian.

The librarians are here to help. One of the best ways to contact a librarian, especially when you’re having problems with research, is through the “Ask a Librarian” link on their website, lib.ua.edu. The link can be found under the “Research Help” section, and once you click it, you will find a box where you can submit questions as well as phone numbers you can call or text. You will also find a link for scheduling private research consultations. In addition to the “Ask a Librarian” link, students can seek help at the information desks of each library and from the Library and Information Sciences graduate students who will conduct a “roving service” throughout the first floors once every hour.

3. Students can enter library-sponsored contests each semester for a chance to win prizes such as iPads or Kindles.

In the past, students have won prizes for submitting interesting book collections and doing research exercises quickly. Currently, the library is sponsoring a video contest in which students submit three-minute videos explaining how they use the libraries. The deadline to register a team is Thursday, Sept. 29 at 5 p.m., and the deadline to submit a movie is Monday, Oct. 10. Prizes include an iPod touch and or HD camera. For more information, visit lib.ua.edu and click the tab on the right.

4. There’s a basement in Gorgas Library that you can’t access via the main elevators, and it’s a great place to study.

The Gorgas basement is a great place to study for two reasons: 1) It’s one of only two floors labeled as “silent floors,” which means no talking is allowed. 2) Cell phone service is non-existent, so you can’t get distracted by your friends’ phone calls or texts.

5. Even if the UA library system doesn’t have the book you need, you’re not out of options.

The University of Alabama library system has thousands of books for students to read and borrow, but depending on what your research topic is, it’s still possible the libraries may not have the exact book you’re looking for. Thankfully, all hope is not lost. UA has teamed up with libraries from across the country through Interlibrary Loan, which allows students to borrow books from other libraries on a 2-4 week basis. Simply fill out an online request form on the ILL website (lib.ua.edu/interlibloan) and your books should arrive within a few weeks.

6. Gorgas Library isn’t open 24 hours, but Rodgers Library is.

Though dubbed a library for science and engineering majors, Rodgers is actually open to everyone. Keep in mind that the library is no longer open 24/7, though. Instead, it’s open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 7 p.m. Friday until Dec. 3. Both Gorgas and Rodgers are open 24/7 starting Sunday, Dec. 4 at noon.

7. The libraries can help you with social networking.

Thanks to the libraries’ new “Lunch & Learn” series, students can learn more about social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn over refreshments. The first talk, about using Twitter as an information source, is scheduled for tomorrow, Sept. 21, from 1-2 p.m. in Gorgas 205. The second and third talks, about Facebook privacy and LinkedIn, are scheduled for Oct. 19 and Nov. 16 respectively.